Introduction

If you’re getting ready to write your resume for a position as a telecommunications installer or repairer, there are two resources that can help you decide what information to include and how to present it.

First, refer to the employer’s job description, and at every opportunity, try to mirror their requirements in your skills and accomplishments. The second valuable resource is telecommunications resume samples, which will help you get a feel for tone and composition and will aid you in visualizing what your resume will look like.

As you read further, you’ll learn how to construct a strong resume via detailed explanations of each section that should be included.

Telecommunications Resume Samples

What to Include in a Telecommunications Resume

First and foremost, crafting this document is not a fill-in-the-blank exercise. Each resume in the industry will be different based on years of experience, education, certifications obtained, and overall career path. There’s no single right way to write your telecommunications resume, but there are certain essential sections that are common to each resume format.

As you review various telecommunications resume samples, you’ll see examples of the two most common resume formats. While the choice of format is yours, there are various reasons why job seekers may choose one over the other.

The first and most common format is the chronological style, which puts your previous jobs and the dates you held them front and center. This is the format employers are most used to seeing and is recommended for those with no employment gaps and who are following a traditional career path. The essential sections for this resume style are:

Contact info (name/phone/email)

Resume summary

Work experience

Skills

Education

For job seekers with difficult-to-explain employment gaps or who may be considering a career change, the functional resume style may work better. In this case, instead of centering your resume on past jobs, you drive home the value of your past achievements and transferable skills.

A third option is a combination style, which you can use if you feel each format has something to offer. If you choose to combine them, be sure not to repeat your accomplishments. Every word should lead to new information.

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How to Write the Telecommunications Resume Summary Statement

Your resume summary is like the opening paragraph of a book. If it doesn’t draw the employer in, they may not continue reading. It’s placement as the first element of your resume is critical, and every word should count, since you’re limited to 2-3 sentences describing you at your best.

Once again, refer to be the job description for what the employer is looking for and to the telecommunications resume samples to get a feel for the correct tone and composition. Also provided for your consideration are two additional examples below:

Telecommunications line installer with over 15 years of experience in both urban and rural areas. Never failed to respond when on call and volunteered to work to restore service in areas hit by natural disasters like hurricane Sandy. In one-on-one customer contact, used strong troubleshooting skills to determine problem, temporarily fixed issues until permanent repairs could be made, and ensured availability of replacement components.

Experienced field service technician skilled at installing, connecting, testing, and adjusting equipment. Experience with bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders and entering tight spaces. Ensured longer life of cables by placing insulation over conductors or splices. Set up service for customers at a job-completion rate higher than required by corporate standards and ensured signal strength using electronic test equipment.

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How to Write the Telecommunications Work Experience Section

Before you approach the writing of your work experience section, you should have already decided on the resume format you want to use. For a refresher on the chronological and functional resume formats, refer to the telecommunications resume samples. Each presents your work experience in a different way and looks different on the page as well.

If you’re going with the chronological format, you can move to the work experience section immediately following your summary. Beginning with your most recent job first, each job will be its own sub-heading, followed by at least three bullet points highlighting your accomplishments. If at all possible, list instances where you identified a problem, devised a solution, and produced a positive result. An example of what a job listing in the work experience should look like follows:

Diagnosed customer problems and educated them on proper use and maintenance of equipment

If you decided to go with the functional format, you’ll need to insert a new “Accomplishments” section after your resume summary section and before your work experience. Since you’ve chosen to focus on your achievements rather than your jobs, this area will use 8-10 bullet points to emphasize those skill areas and accomplishments that mirror the needs of the prospective employer.

Once you’ve shown yourself to be the ideal candidate by virtue of your accomplishments, you can move on to your now skeletal work experience section, which will be a simple list of previous jobs. Since there’s no need to include employment dates, this structure will enable you to avoid drawing attention to employment gaps.

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Action Verbs to Include in Your Telecommunications Work Experience Section

Whether you’re a line installer or repairer, your job is hands-on, and throughout your resume you should use action verbs to create an image of you as the ideal candidate doing the job. Following are some industry-related action verbs to consider:

Install

Rearrange

Replace

Inspect

Repair

Test

Adjust

Calibrate

Demonstrate

Service

Diagnose

Explain

Maintain

Correct

Monitor

Climb

Lift

Troubleshoot

Operate

Splice

A quick scan of telecommunications resume samples should provide even more action verbs to describe what you do.

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How to Write the Telecommunications Skills Section

There are many skills demanded by employers of telecommunications line installers and repairers, and they can generally be broken down into two categories – technical/physical and interpersonal/personal.

By reviewing telecommunications resume samples, you can get a feel for how best to present your skills, but make sure to study the job description as well. You may have many skills that aren’t required, but it’s important to list the ones the employer is looking for first. You want them to recognize the candidate they’re looking for. Your additional skills can fill out the section.

An example of a skills section for a telecommunications line installer follows:

Technical/Physical skills:

Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching and operation of telecommunication systems

Proficiency with circuit boards and processors

Physically able to perform activities like climbing, lifting, and balancing

Complex problem solving

Interpersonal/Personal skills:

Active listening to customer complaints to identify problem

Strong decision making resulting in cost-effective decisions

Ability to communicate with customers who have varying degrees of understanding

Ability to observe and obtain information from multiple sources

Don’t feel constrained by the categories identified above. If you have a different breakdown of your skills, go ahead and use it. The main idea is to write with the potential employer’s needs in mind.

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How to Write the Telecommunications Education Section

While some postsecondary education is often required to fill a telecommunications role, an associate’s degree in electronics, telecommunications, or computers generally meets employer requirements. As you list your education, whether you’ve obtained an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, your highest level of education should be listed first and should look something like this:

Cuyahoga Community College – Cleveland, OHAssociate’s degree in electronics

Entry level positions are attainable for those currently enrolled in a certificate or associate’s degree program, so if you’re working toward a degree, that should be listed with the “in progress” qualifier. If you don’t have a degree but have taken industry-related courses, list them under a “Continuing Education” sub-heading.

Since on-the-job training is provided by most telecommunications companies, you should list any job-specific courses provided by previous employers as well.

You might also want to consider a sub-heading for “Licenses and Certifications.” While certification requirements vary by employer, any certification will look good on your resume. Often, certifications are provided by equipment manufacturers, or by organizations like the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers.

It could be to your benefit to explore certification even if it’s not required. It will show your commitment to the industry and your continuing education.

By examining the education sections of various telecommunications resume samples, you’ll see how best to list your education and training.

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Should I Include References in my Telecommunications Resume

While references are very important, you won’t see them included in any of the telecommunications resume samples. They should be a separate document available upon request. By mentioning that you have them but not providing them along with your resume, you put yourself in the advantageous position of:

Knowing that the employer is interested when they ask for your references

Being able to contact the people on your list so they can be prepared for a phone call

Asking to be informed when they contact has been made and how it went

In choosing who you’ll ask to be a reference, ask previous supervisors with whom you had a good relationship and who have given you a strong evaluation during your time with them. You should have at least 3 people on your list, and if you sense any hesitation when you ask them, move on to someone else. The last thing you need is a reference who seems on the fence about your performance.

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Telecommunication Resume Fails: Mistakes to Avoid

Throughout this article, you’ve been advised to mirror the employer’s requirements. This advice is important on two fronts. First, you let them see you as the ideal candidate based on their needs, but that’s not all. Many companies now use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan and cull the many resumes they receive, and one of the ways they eliminate resumes is the lack of keywords. Keywords are not industry buzz words, they’re the actual words used in the job description. By using the employer’s own words, you’re satisfying both the electronic gatekeeper and the human being who’ll read your resume.

When it comes to a hiring manager reading your resume, you want to be viewed as someone who understands the importance of attention to detail, and typos and misspellings send the wrong message. Even when you think you’ve got your resume exactly right, have a friend read it before you submit it.

Even if you were treated unfairly at a previous job, there should be no hint of blame or dissatisfaction in your resume. You want to present yourself in a positive light. If you sound like a malcontent, your resume will go on the reject pile.

You may have along list of attributes and accomplishments, but if your resume is going into a third page, it’s too long. A good rule of thumb regarding what to include and what to cut is: the most important skills and accomplishments are those the employer is looking for. Anything else that’s making your resume too long can be cut and saved for your interview.

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Job Prospects in the Telecommunications Industry

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected employment growth for the average of all occupations to be 7 percent for the period 2014 to 2024. The various specific job categories related to the telecommunications industry are provided for comparison:

Electrical power-line installers and repairersare projected to be employed at a growth rate of 11 percent during the same ten-year period. This higher than average growth is largely due to increasing populations, more housing developments, and additional construction. Employment of installation, maintenance, and repair occupations is projected to be about average at 6 percent.

Little or no change in employment of telecommunications line installers and repairers is expected, because while anticipated population growth will increase demand, that growth could be tempered by the many households that already have high speed internet access.

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